Charles H. Dyson

Without the many contributions of Charles H. Dyson, it is difficult to imagine what Pace University’s “School of Arts and Sciences” would look like today.

In honor of Pace alumnus and then-trustee Charles H. Dyson, Pace University’s Board of Trustees agreed to rename the School of Arts and Sciences as Dyson College of Arts and Sciences in 1974. Reacting to the trustees’ decision in his characteristically unassuming manner, Dr. Dyson, a partner in the Dyson-Kissner-Moran Corporation, a privately owned investment company, said that he regarded the trustees’ action as “a distinct honor,” adding: “In today’s world, the Arts and Sciences are at the core of all programs of study, and are becoming more important in every aspect of our living.”

Then-Pace President Dr. Edward J. Mortola observed, “In naming the School of Arts and Sciences for Dr. Dyson, the trustees have acknowledged the tremendous support that he has extended to Pace in his years of association with it. To count the ways he has provided that support is to cover the gamut from bricks and mortar and scholarships for deserving students to an extraordinary willingness to be available to administration, faculty, and students.”

And those ways are many. Charles Dyson:

Served on the Board of Trustees from 1961 to 1976

Served as its Chairman from 1970 to 1976

Named the first building on the Pleasantville Campus, the Dyson Hall of Science in 1963

Was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Commercial Science from Pace University in 1965

Received Pace University's Leaders in Management Award in 1969

Contributed a lead gift towards the Mortola Library in 1987

Contributed to the Goldstein Academic Center in 1993

Made a $10 million challenge grant to Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

Established the Dyson Moral Obligation Scholarships

And in his memory, the Charles H. Dyson Profile in Courage Scholarship Award was established.

Charles H. Dyson was born August 2, 1909, and died at the age of 87 on March 14, 1997. He was well known as a financier, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He was considered a pioneer in the field of leveraged buyouts and was best known for his government service. After graduating from Pace Institute in 1930, he began a career in public accounting. Dr. Dyson was a lifelong Democrat who worked for President Franklin D. Roosevelt and served in World War II. In 1954, he founded the Dyson-Kissner-Moran Corporation, a New York investment company that has become one of the nation’s largest privately held corporations.

In pursuit of his philanthropic interests, in 1957 he founded the Dyson Foundation and later the Dyson Charitable Fund. Dr. Dyson also served as a member of the Governing Trustees of the Metropolitan Opera Association and served as Chairman of the Board of the American Ballet Theatre.

Charles Dyson’s contributions, both in spirit and in generous financial support, continue to this day, and his legacy as a supporter of and advocate for the arts and sciences is evidenced by Dyson College's remarkable expansion in the 30 years since its renaming in his honor.

As the arts and sciences continue to be the foundation of all academic and professional programs, Dr. Dyson’s words ring just as true in today’s world as they did in 1974.

On October 8, 2009, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences celebrated the 35th Anniversary of the Naming of Dyson College with the Dyson Legacy Dinner. Read more.